1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to vehicles and in particular to recreational vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
To increase the available interior space of recreational vehicles or trailers, the vehicle may have a slide-out section, such as rooms or closets. These slide-out sections usually include a floor, a roof, an end wall and one or more side walls. In the retracted position the roof, floor, and side walls are typically inside the stationary part of the vehicle, concealed from exterior view, and the end wall forms a portion of the vehicle's side wall. During transit, these sections are retracted and stored in the interior of the vehicle or trailer, with the exterior wall of the slide-out section being flush with the exterior of the vehicle or trailer. To use the slide-out section, the vehicle is first parked and leveled. The slide-out room is then slid outward from the vehicle, thereby increasing the interior space of the vehicle.
While the extendible section can increase the usable interior space of the vehicle considerably, space optimization remains an issue. Thus, ways to incorporate other space saving technology into the vehicle are sought. The challenge is primarily doing so without excessive weight to the vehicle and fitting the space saving components into the interior in a sensible way and without interfering with the movable components of the vehicle, such as the slide-out section(s).
The operating mechanisms for extending and retracting the slide-out sections are another area of concern. Various drive assemblies are known and can be manual or powered, including hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics, simple gearing mechanisms, sheave and pulley arrangements, or various combinations thereof.
The operating mechanism for extending and retracting the slide-out section relative to the vehicle may be fixed to the vehicle body and can include one or more sliding rails attached to the slide-out section. Typically, these sliding rails slide within rail supports fixed to the vehicle frame. Multiple sliding rails are typically utilized for wide slide-out sections. Such operating mechanisms of conventional slide-out room assemblies are large and can add significant cost and weight to a vehicle.
Another problem with vehicles having such slide-out sections is that the slide-out room may move considerably with respect to the rest of the vehicle during transit, for example, from riding over bumps, taking high-speed turns or making evasive maneuvers with the vehicle. In extreme cases, this can result in the slide-out section actually sliding away, or extending, from the vehicle during transit. Another problem is forming a tight seal between the slide-out section and the vehicle, particularly when the slide-out section is retracted, to keep out rain, insects and other foreign bodies. The sliding mechanism may not be sufficient to compress the gaskets or other seals around the vehicle opening to adequately seal off the interior.
Several solutions to overcome these problems have been developed in the prior art which work to limit the amount of play in the slide-out operating mechanism, however, these are generally inadequate by themselves. Stand alone latching or locking devices, therefore, have been devised to address these problems, but room still exists for improvement in this area.